Two Dads
by rockhotch31
Summary: Jack and Henry have a huge convo about bullying. Mention of Hotch/Rossi slash, but nothing overt. Just the boys really, with the team, of course!


**A/N: It's my day off (my relaxation is writing this stuff) and this one was in my writing queue. After seeing Henry in last night's CM episode, my brain said "Write me now!"**

***Knightly bow of head***

**I do not own any CM characters. They are the property of Mark Gordon Studios, CBS and ABC Studios. I just have fun with them!**

Two Fathers

The team was gathered at Dave and Hotch's home, technically Dave's mansion; but they all knew by now it was a shared home. And one filled with love. They all appreciated that. To see Hotch so happy and so relaxed was wonderful.

After DC's area skirmish with Hurricane Sandy, with the team on the west coast, to come home and see their families, intact and safe, called for a celebration. Sandy, now cleared completely out of the area, the DC area skies gave way to a wonderful, sunny, warm Saturday afternoon.

Dave and Aaron invited the team for a cookout, with the balmy temperatures returning to the area. A post-Halloween party they had all missed. The entire team happily agreed and pitched in on the meal, each bringing something to share. JJ, who could really hold her own in a kitchen, made her mother's infamous cheesy potato recipe. She knew that Dave was supplying the chicken and Hotch was grilling it. The recipe fit with the main course. But with the size of the group, Emily made the second pan, not so bad in the kitchen herself following JJ/Sandy's recipe. Dave already had a huge broccoli casserole in the top oven, simply waiting for the timer to kick on.

Garcia contributed a salad, of course, her and Kevin being the groups' vegetarians. Dave had Halibuts filets tenderly soaking in his special sauce in the fridge for them. He would cook them alongside Aaron as the chicken reached perfection. And Hotch knew how to grill chicken to perfection. However, she brought Sandy's doughboy salad recipe, which she got from JJ and was firmly placed in the Rossi/Hotchner fridge. Lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli and parmesan cheese with a cream dressing. Garcia passed on the red onion part, now knowing Emily stomach after her skirmish with Ian Doyle. She just needed to add the dressing before eating. Morgan provided the beer; Reid provided the loaf of Italian bread that JJ and Prentiss stood in Rossi's kitchen, buttering and adding garlic salt.

Prentiss, looking out the kitchen window into the backyard, smiled at Jack and Henry heading to the swing set, complete with sandbox that Dave had bought and installed for Jack. JJ looked through the window as well, to see the two boys hauling two of Jack's Tonka trucks to the sandbox from the garage to do some "major work". She happily smiled at Emily.

As the boys played in the sand, moving "earth" as Jack said, their design to build a road around the sandbox, he eyed Henry staring at him.

"What's up Henry," he asked as they worked on their road.

Henry gulped a bit and then said what he was thinking. "You got two dads now Jack?"

Jack smiled brightly. "Yup, I do."

"I've got a friend in my class that does too. But he gets teased; a lot sometimes. It's not fair. Mommy and daddy 'plained to me. I used to get teased a lot that my mommy and daddy weren't married." Both of the boys smiled at the memory of JJ and Will getting married.

But then Jack frowned a bit. "Yeah, I get that from one my classmates every now and then. But I don't listen. He even calls me names. Ms. Olsen said I shouldn't."

"Ms. Olsen your teacher?"

"Yup; she's great."

Henry smiled, and then frowned. "That's not fair. How come? I mean it doesn't bother you," Henry asked, digging a bit deeper in the sand. "I mean Jack, all the rest of my class has a mommy and daddy, just like me. You don't."

"I did at one time Henry. But my mommy and daddy got divorced." He looked Henry in the eye. "That means they weren't married any more. It was hard. I was younger than you when it happened."

Jack took a look around, to see Mudg, standing by the two boys, on guard. His muzzle may have been starting to gray, but his job was to protect the boys. Jack smiled, taking comfort in his best bud near him.

"And then my mommy got killed; by a monster that your mom and my dad and papa chase. That really hurt; I still miss my mommy." Jack dug in the sand more like Henry, uneasy with the conversation and trying to erase the memory. Yet he continued on.

"That was really hard on my dad. His was really, really not happy for a long time. And that made sad. I tried, Henry, I really did, to make dad happy. But then Papa came into our lives and my dad was happy again," Jack brightly smiled.

"So you're OK with the teasing?" Henry innocently asked.

Jack shook his head. "My dad is happy. I like that. And Papa is happy too. But teasing isn't right."

"Your Papa is awesome Jack," Henry brightly smiled, remembering the Halloween Dave had provided to the two boys, compliments of Garcia and Kevin.

Jack looked at Henry, his best friend. "Henry, you still getting teased?"

Henry looked at Mudg, and then his friend in the eye. "Yeah; even though mommy and daddy are married now, Garrett still teases me."

Jack sternly looked his best friend in the eye. "Henry, that's Garrett being a bully. And you can't put up with that."

Henry looked Jack in the eye. "You get that Jack?"

"I have two dads, remember? Some people don't like that. And yes I do. But I stand up to them and tell them that I know I'm loved and my dad and Papa will always take care of me. And most importantly Henry, they love me. I know that for a fact." Henry smiled.

Jack looked at Henry. "You just gottta do the same. Be proud of the people that love you. I know I'm loved," Jack smiled. "And you are too, Henry."

Henry beamed as well. "Knew I could talk to you Jack," he smiled as the boys worked on their "road" project. Mudg, sensing that something was bothering Jack, moved up to put his nose into the boys "construction site". Jack gave his friend a loving rub across the ears.

"We're all good Mudg," he smiled. Mudg barked a happy response at his sleep partner and moved to the patio area with the rest of group; yet still keeping an eye on the boys. Hotch and Dave smiled at each other.

Emily looked at JJ and nodded out the window. "Sorry for being a profiler, but that convo out there in the sandbox has been a little more than two boys playing."

"You noticed too?" JJ looked at the floor in Dave's kitchen, and then in her best friend's eyes. She knew she could trust Emily. "Henry has been dealing with a bully. Even though Will and I are now married, this kid knows we weren't for a while. He's been giving Henry hell about it and making his life hell. It really hurts Em, and I don't know what to do."

Emily smiled and rubbed her best friend's shoulder. "I think he just got a world of advice from a boy that has two dads and loves them both dearly. And probably dealing with the same type of thing," Emily smiled.

JJ looked out the window to see the two boys racing to Dave's garage. They came out less than thirty seconds later with Jack's two replicas of Monster trucks and the boys happily dived into the sandbox, racing the trucks around their "track".

JJ threw an arm around Emily's shoulder. "You know I love you, right?"

Emily gave her a hug. "Always and forever," she smiled.

Aaron and Dave just exchanged grins. They knew their son would fill them in on the situation when they put him to bed.

Morgan looped his long arms around the two men, looking Hotch in the eye. "I think the team leader," nodding at the sandbox, "was just huge for one of his team members," he broadly smiled, his pearly whites showing.

Garcia, Kevin, and Reid beamed their approval.

###

**A/N: As I said at the top, it's my day off, and this is my relaxation.**

**The usual shout outs to my luvs at CMRev, in Twitterville, an educator, who I hope dearly made it through Sandy and hxchick.**

***Knightly Jedi bow of head to Master* Luvs ya T!**


End file.
